Fire-grate



(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1.

H. S. WILLIAMS.

FIRE GRATE.

Patented Apr. 12, 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 2. H. S. WILLIAMS.

' FIRE GRATE.

No. 361,036. Patented Apr. 12, 1887.

"I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY s.- wILLIAMs, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS;

' FlR E-GRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,036, dated April12, 1887.

Application filedhiay 4,1856. Serial No. 101,057. (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, HENRY S. WILLIAMs, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Fire-Grates, which improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecification.

This invention has reference more particularly to that form ordescription of furnacegrates wherein the gratebars are reciprocatedhorizontally to sift out ashes and cinder; and

the invention consistsin certain improvements in such gi ates, ashereinafter particularly pointed out.

According to the present invention the entire grate is supported byhanging bars or hangers (two in number) placed in the furnacelongitudinally and supported therein in any suitableway. Near the endsof these hangers are placed two cross-bars, herein called track-bars, onyvhich are formed ways or tracks for anti-friction rollers, upon whichthe grate-bars rest, each bar being free to move back and forth on itsown independent rollers. The grate-bars are made deep and thin, and areprovided on their upper surface with transverse section-s or lugsextending beyond the bar proper on both sides. These transverse sectionsstrengthen and protect the bars,

and when in motion they assist in stirring the fire, breaking upclinkers, and sifting out the ashes. By their use apertures orair-passages are formed crosswise as well as lengthwise of the grate.They enable the grate-bars to be placed farther apart than usual, theair-openings on the fire-bed being regulated thereby to suit differentsizes of coal; The bars are strengthened and warping prevented bylongitudinal ribs'on each side of the bar. The rollers on which the barsrest are provided on the lower part of their peripheries with sockets orslots, inwhich are inserted teeth or projections on the track-bars.Above the rollers are recessed on both sides, and are held be tweenfingers depending from the grate-bars. The rollers are thus held uprightand retained in proper place relatively to the track and grate-bars, butat the same time are free to oscillate, so that the grate-bars can rollfreely thereon. Near the front ends of the hangers, and resting thereon,is a rock-bar, by means of which the gratebars are reciprocated. Thisbar has a number ofdevers projecting alternately upward and downward,there being one lever for each grate-bar. The upper levers fit intonotches in the under edge of alternate grate-bars, while the lowerlevers are connected to the other bars by means of links, so that whenthe rock-bar is oscillated all the grate-bars are reciprocated, half ofthem moving in one direction and half in the other. At the extreme endsof the hanging bars, which curve upward, are bolted cross-bars orheadersprovided on their under sides with webs or partitions, forming betweenthem spaces of just sufiicient width to permit the ends of thegrate-bars to play freely therein. These partitions thus form guidesforthe grate-bars and hold them in an upright position. The headersareperforated vertically, so as to 'allow the passage of air around theends of the bars into the fire. V

The accompanying drawings represent a grate constructed in accordancewith the invention, Figu re I being a plan view with one of thegrate-bars broken away; Fig. II, a front elevation; Fig. III, alongitudinal section on line a: m, Fig, I; and Figs. IV and V, detailsshowing the preferred form of the grate-bars with thesupporting-rollers.

The hangers A support near their ends the track-bars B, upon which restthe anti-friction rollers a, supporting the grate-bars C G. The rollersa are formed with a socket, in which is inserted a tooth, b, of thetrack-bar, which tooth keeps the roller in place, but permits it alimited oscillation with the grate-bars. The

roller is recessed on each side from the top downward, and the fingersor prongs 0 bn the gratebar enter these recesses and clasp the middlepart of the roller between them. The rollers a are thus held looselybetween the track-bars B and grate-bars O G.

The body part of the grate-bars is deep and thin, tapering incross-section from the top downward. Each bar is provided on top withtransverse sections orlugs d,whieh project beyond the bar 011 each side,and withlongitudi nal ribs (1, to strengthen the bar and preventwarping. Grate-bars east in this form can be seta considerable distanceapart, the size of the apertures in the fire-bed being determined by thelength of the sections (Z, which may of course be made as longasdesired. These sections or lugs also project above the surface of thebar, as shown, thereby forming cross-passages for currents of air. Theyalso assist materially in stirring the fire and sifting out the ashes.Furthermore, by this construction a broad snpporting surface ispresented for the fire,while a wide spaceis left between the bars forthe descent of ashes, 810., and the ascent of air, which latter becomespartially heated between the-deep grate-bars, and in that con- (litionis distributed by the numerous air-passages in a manner to promotecomplete and uniform combustion.

Below the grate, and resting in notches in the hangers A,is the rock-barF. This bar is provided with arms orlevers of equal length, pro jectingalternately upward and downward, the upright arms being markedf and thedepending arms f. These arms or levers are for communicating motion tothe grate-bars, and there is one arm for each bar. The arms f each fitin a notch in the under side of one of the bars, 0. To the ends of armsf are pivoted links g, connected at their farther ends to the bars 0',these links 7 being in the same vertical planes as the grate-bars, towhich they are severally attached.

Bar F may be rocked on its bearings in the notches in hangers A by anordinary hand-lever, for insertion of which a hole, a, is provided inbar 1*, thereby reciprocating all the gratebars, bars 0 moving inopposite directions to the alternating bars 0.

The ends of hangers A curve upward, and to them are bolted the crossbarsor headers H. These headers are cast with partitions or webs h on theirunder sides. The partitions or webs h form between them guideways forthe ends of the grate-bars G 0, whereby the latter are kept in anupright position. The gnideways are sufficiently long to permit thereciprocation of the grate-bars to the desired extent, and also topermit the expansion and contraction of the bars due to heating andcooling.

The headers H are perforated vertically, as shown in Fig. 1, to admitair to the fire around the ends of the grate-bars.

The headers H, with the hangers A, constitute a frame by which all partsof the grate are carried. The whole structure can be supported in afurnace of any suitable description by means of journal-pins K, on whichthe whole grate can be tilted or dumped. One of the pins K may beadapted to project through an opening in the shell of the furnace and toreceive a suitable handle or lever for turning, or an opening may beleft in the furnace-wall for such handle or lever, as common in dumpinggrates.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spiritof my invention, and that parts of the invention may, if desired, beused without others.

I do not claim, broadly, a grate-bar provided with transverse sections,this being the invention of another.

I claim as my invention- 1. The movable grate-bars having a thintapering and deep body portion, with ribs on the sides thereof, andtransverse sections or lugs projecting above and to each side of thesame, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the reciprocating grate-bars, of theanti-friction supporting-rollers recessed on each side from. the topdownward, said bars being provided with depend ing fingers or prongswhich enter said recesses and embrace the middle part of the rollerbetween them, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the grate-bars. the track-bars, and theanti-friction rollers held loosely between said grate'bars andtrack-bars by means of projections therefrom, substan tially asdescribed.

4. The combination ofthehangers, the trackbars supported thereby, themovable gratebars, the anti-friction rollers between said track-bars andgrate-bars, and the rock-bar having hearings in said hangers, andprovided with arms or levers projecting alternately in oppositedirections and connected with said grate-bars, so that the oscillationof said rockbar reciprocatcs alternate grate-bars in oppositedirections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY S. WILLIAMS.

\Vi tn esscs:

WM. H. BREWER, G. N. HARRIS.

